I need a "Use Enough Gun" Gun. Suggestions?

[Ontario Hunter]

I agree with @385Fox (that's a first!). Test fire any thumper you're considering before committing. You might think about 404 Jeffery. This is fast becoming the African dangerous game darling it once was before Kynoch ammo went extinct and American "wildcats" took over. Recoil is manageable and it spits out +.400 cal 400 gr bullets. Substantially more thump than 300 gr 375. Mind you, I killed two buffalo very nicely with 375 using lighter than 300 gr bullets. I suppose 300 gr would kill elephants too but personally I would be more comfortable shooting at least 404J.

 

[Brian]

My rant on buffalo cartridges.

I know that I sound like a broken record, however I have found that the 375 with the best bullets is a poor and dangerous cape buffalo killer.

Yes, most hunters and PH's say that the the 375 is "Good enough" to "Perfect." My opinion is that people like the 375 because they are afraid of the recoil of proper buffalo rifle like the .416, .458, .470 and .500.

Much of the fuss over recoil is mental. The fact is that most any man or woman can learn to shoot the 500 NE accurately and enjoy it, ask my 135 pound wife. ( Ok, she weighed that when she used to hunt, It's a bit more now.)

Lots of men and women enjoy shooting 25 - 50 rounds of heavy 12 gauge goose loads when the geese are coming in on a cold morning. A heavy goose load in a light shotgun kicks more than regular weight 357HH.

Why are hunters afraid to fire a couple of rounds from a 458 WM when their adrenalin is flowing in a close encounter with a deadly cape buffalo? I don't get it.

I know the 375 fans will jump up and down and say "I use the 375 for cape buffalo because it works well, not because I am afraid of the recoil of a big bore." Yeah right! I believe you.

Look at it this way:

1. A wounded cape buffalo can be dangerous.
2. What is the recommended shooting distance when you are taking your first shot on a cape buffalo?
3. How far does a cape buffalo often run after he is hit in the shoulder with a .375 even with a good bullet, which most people don't use as they would rather hunt buffalo with cheap/poor bullet like a Hornady?

I have hunted cape buffalo with .375 HH, .50-110 Winchester and .577 NE. I have been involved in three buffalo charges, one of them was a buffalo that I personally shot poorly. Yes, I have strong opinions on this subject.

Also, what is all this nonsense about shooting 10-20 rounds off the bench with a cape buffalo rifle in one session. What is that for? Do you actually hunt cape buffalo with a bench rest?

Big bores hurt when fired off the bench and cause people to develop a flinch. ( A flinch is not helpful when you are shooting a cape buffalo.) The bench shooting of big bores is for load development and sighting in, that just takes a few rounds and here is some ways to make it easier.
- Place a big pad/weight between the butt pad and your shoulder. (Don't use a led sled they tend to
crack stocks and/or pound the recoil lug into the stock damaging it.)
- Use a standing type bench rest or set enough blocks under your rifle rest to raise the rifle rest high
above the bench. This enables you to sit upright at the bench, reducing the felt recoil. It really does
help.

Once you have a decent load developed and sighted in, do all of your practicing off of shooting sticks.
I like to practice off the sticks with a .22 mostly or dry firing indoors at home. ( Big bores cost too much for me to shoot paper with. That's just me.)

Of course I don't make any friends when I do my "Famous .375 rant". .....oh well. I think that am justified, the 375 cartridge has been known to get cape buffalo hunters in trouble including injured or dead which would ruin the whole day.

 

[Surgeon1]

A 375 H&H is always the ticket in Africa, that said if I'm hunting dangerous game and plains game
I almost always take 3 guns: 300 Mag, 375 H&H, and a double (450-400 or 470NE). I always end up shooting the 300 more than the other 2 combined. I love the 416 Rigby and have 3, but frankly
don't find the need so far. The 458 Lott is a big step up in recoil, I have a Dakota traveler in 375/458
and going from the 375H&H to the Lott barrel is like going from a 20ga with trap loads to a 3" mag
12ga. The Lott recoils harder than both of my 470NE!
Forget trying to improve on the 375H&H (Wby or AI) a 300gr Swift or Northfork at 2500fps can't be improved on in any way.

 

[BJH65]

My rant on buffalo cartridges.

I know that I sound like a broken record, however I have found that the 375 with the best bullets is a poor and dangerous cape buffalo killer.

Yes, most hunters and PH's say that the the 375 is "Good enough" to "Perfect." My opinion is that people like the 375 because they are afraid of the recoil of proper buffalo rifle like the .416, .458, .470 and .500.

Much of the fuss over recoil is mental. The fact is that most any man or woman can learn to shoot the 500 NE accurately and enjoy it, ask my 135 pound wife. ( Ok, she weighed that when she used to hunt, It's a bit more now.)

Lots of men and women enjoy shooting 25 - 50 rounds of heavy 12 gauge goose loads when the geese are coming in on a cold morning. A heavy goose load in a light shotgun kicks more than regular weight 357HH.

Why are hunters afraid to fire a couple of rounds from a 458 WM when their adrenalin is flowing in a close encounter with a deadly cape buffalo? I don't get it.

I know the 375 fans will jump up and down and say "I use the 375 for cape buffalo because it works well, not because I am afraid of the recoil of a big bore." Yeah right! I believe you.

Look at it this way:

1. A wounded cape buffalo can be dangerous.
2. What is the recommended shooting distance when you are taking your first shot on a cape buffalo?
3. How far does a cape buffalo often run after he is hit in the shoulder with a .375 even with a good bullet, which most people don't use as they would rather hunt buffalo with cheap/poor bullet like a Hornady?

I have hunted cape buffalo with .375 HH, .50-110 Winchester and .577 NE. I have been involved in three buffalo charges, one of them was a buffalo that I personally shot poorly. Yes, I have strong opinions on this subject.

Also, what is all this nonsense about shooting 10-20 rounds off the bench with a cape buffalo rifle in one session. What is that for? Do you actually hunt cape buffalo with a bench rest?

Big bores hurt when fired off the bench and cause people to develop a flinch. ( A flinch is not helpful when you are shooting a cape buffalo.) The bench shooting of big bores is for load development and sighting in, that just takes a few rounds and here is some ways to make it easier.
- Place a big pad/weight between the butt pad and your shoulder. (Don't use a led sled they tend to
crack stocks and/or pound the recoil lug into the stock damaging it.)
- Use a standing type bench rest or set enough blocks under your rifle rest to raise the rifle rest high
above the bench. This enables you to sit upright at the bench, reducing the felt recoil. It really does
help.

Once you have a decent load developed and sighted in, do all of your practicing off of shooting sticks.
I like to practice off the sticks with a .22 mostly or dry firing indoors at home. ( Big bores cost too much for me to shoot paper with. That's just me.)

Of course I don't make any friends when I do my "Famous .375 rant". .....oh well. I think that am justified, the 375 cartridge has been known to get cape buffalo hunters in trouble including injured or dead which would ruin the whole day.

My friend, you’ve always been respectful and thoughtful and I know you have killed far more buffalo than I, but I must strenuously disagree with you! The OP would be well served with his 375 H&H with 300 grain Barnes TSX or 300 grain Swift A Frame for Buffalo and a good premium solid for elephant. It’s ALL about shot placement. If the OP carefully places his first shot into the vitals with the CORRECT bullet, he will be very successful. Sure, he can move up in caliber, if he’s comfortable and can still shoot accurately but it isn’t absolutely necessary. What is absolutely necessary is he place an accurate shot into the vitals!

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Hi, @Azklmsr

Barring a couple of hippopotamus and Cape buffalo which I’ve shot with the .404 Jeffery, .600 Nitro Express and .458 Winchester Magnum… I’ve successfully been taking most of my African dangerous game over the years (so far) with the versatile .375 Holland & Holland Magnum.

Barring body shots on bull elephant and (to a slightly lesser extent) hippopotamus bulls that are hunted in the sugarcane fields at night… I’ve always found the good old .375 to be perfectly adequate for the rest of Africa’s Dangerous Seven (except perhaps the rhinoceros which I’m yet to hunt even one specimen of till now).

Since you have elephant on your menu, I would highly recommend any of the .416 bores (Rigby, Remington Magnum, Ruger) as your all-round African caliber of choice. Enough gun for everything up to elephant, but definitely not too much gun for you to handle. The .404 Jeffery (German loading at 2350 FPS, not English loading at 2150 FPS) also gets my vote in regards to the kind of rifle which you have in mind. The old .425 Westley Richards was also a very solid choice, although sourcing brass & .435 caliber bullets can be quite trying (aside from the fact that nobody except Westley Richards can actually build a rifle in this caliber which seems to feed properly). Any man of ordinary strength will (with reasonable practice) not find these calibers to be too uncomfortable.

 

[Challer]

The 375 is almost never the wrong answer. It doesn't do varmint very well.

 

[BeeMaa]

The 375 is almost never the wrong answer. It doesn't do varmint very well.

300 grain solids for fox sized animals works well with minimal pelt damage.

 

[Brian]

BJH65,

"it''s all about shot placement" I wish I thought of that. ( Just trying to kid you.) Thanks for your post. Brian

 

[One Day...]

I’d recommend you try a 416 or 458 before you buy. I have no problem shooting a 375 H&H but 416 and 458 are really stepping into another recoil class to me, but also a different cartridge class for big game. 375 H&H to 375 Weatherby isn’t adding any value. 416 or 458 is for elephant if you can handle the recoil. Even though you said you don’t shoot factory rounds in your rifles you don’t know what situation may come up. Taking standard cartridges to Africa gives you a lot of flexibility if something were to happen to your ammo.

Amen!

One aspect to consider, Azklmsr, if you are a reasonably fit person, is that rifle weight does wonder to tame recoil, and there is nothing wrong with a 11 lbs .40+ / .45+ rifle. My factory issued Blaser R8 .458 Lott weighs in at 11.5 lbs with its standard steel receiver, Selous barrel, and 1.4 lbs Leica 1-6x24 scope, and its recoil is quite manageable and not much different from that of a 9.5 lbs Win 70 .416 Rem or .458 Win with a 1/2 lbs scope.

I know, I know, some folks are horrified by the mere thought of a 11.5 lbs. scoped .458 rifle, but find it completely normal to carry all day a 11.5 lbs double. Go figure...

I too have often mused about pushing a .375 Wby reamer in my various successive .375 H&H chambers, but in the end never done it. For sure it would give the .375 H&H a little more reach when used on PG, but not really enough to bother. Beside, the Leica 2.5x10 ERi that sits on my R8 .375 H&H barrel has a discreet unobtrusive BDC ring at the base of its top turret, so this solves the PG reach problem a whole lot better than an additional 150 fps. Of course, the nice thing about the .375 Wby is that you can still shoot .375 H&H ammo in it, should the need arise.

As to .416 Rem vs .458 Win, -- assuming you can shoot them well -- I look at it a bit differently. There is not a whole lot of real world effect difference between a .375 H&H load with a 350 gr bullet and a .416 Rem load with 400 gr bullet, so I see the .375 H&H / .458 as covering a bigger spectrum (300 to 500 gr), especially if you open the .458 to Lott for commercial ammo, or if you load the Win to use its long throat (i.e. Win load with Lott overall cartridge length, in which case Win = Lott in terms of power). But do you need that power? Many/most (all?) will say no for Buff but if there is Elephant in your future, or even an angry Hippo on land, the .40+ hits them a lot harder than the .375, and the .45+ hit them again a lot harder than the .40+.

Where are you in AZ? I am in Snowflake...

 

[Green Chile]

I know, I know, some folks are horrified by the mere thought of a 11.5 lbs. scoped .458 rifle, but find it completely normal to carry all day a 11.5 lbs double. Go figure...

There you go with the logic again. Love it. To take it one step further...for those who don't like to carry a bit more weight in the rifle, how about taking a few pounds off your frame and adding one to the rifle? Win/win.

 

[Brian]

I have learned that if you ever want to start a good conversation/debate, just post something about the .375 on cape buffalo. ( chuckle.)

There are always lots of opinions on the topic.

The more one gets into details and facts on the .375 the more obvious are it's limitations. That is why the 375 is designated the minimum fo cape bullalo.

As I have told you all before I shoot a .375 HH and a .375 Ruger and really enjoy them but I don't use them on cape buffalo any more. (Cape buffalo are the only DG that I can afford to hunt.)

I am a bullet/calibre nerd. The four questions that I like to have answered every time a buffalo is killed or wounded is:
1. Where was the bullet placed and from what angle?
2. What was the bullet calibre, make and weight?
3. How far did the buffalo go after the first shot?
4. How many follow up shot were take after the first shot?

When we say, "it worked well" etc. that is really all that matters to us for the enjoyment and satisfaction of the hunt but obviously more specific info is needed for complete evaluation and comparison of how quickly a bullet/caliber kills a cape buffalo for the sake of safety.

Another way of putting it is "What cartridge/bullet was used when a wounded buffalo goes after the hunter and hurts him." That is what this is all about as far as I am concerned.

I went through my .375 for cape buffalo phase about 15 buffalo ago and being an old opinionated geezer I just like preaching the virtues of big bores. The bigger, the better!

I want to repeat my .577 NE story from my last hunt in April. Apologies.

We were hunting in North West Province near Rustenburg. Beautiful area where it had recently rained buckets for about a month.The bush was thick and green and the grass was 3 to 4 ft deep in some places. We found a small herd in some thick bush, the PH, Gene, told me that there was a 22 year old cow in the bunch that chased anybody and anything include vehicles and we would have to be on the job.

We came across this old girl in the late afternoon. I am 80 years old and am slow an awkward in the bush so the PH and tracker tucked me in a safe place and crept into the thickest stuff for closer look at her.

It worked out well for me because sure as hell they got chased by her.

They were puffing and giggling when they came back to retrieve me. We walked straight to the Bakkie and motored around for a while looking for a different bunch of buffalo. The PH and I were riding on top, I had my single shot .577 NE and the the PH was glassing across a big open area.

He whispered, "We are being charged again by that old cow" I couldn't see her.

"How do you feel about shooting out of the truck" Gene asked. "Today, I feel good about it", I answered. He told George, the tracker, to face the bakkie towards the cow and turn off the motor.

The cow was galloping towards at about 150 yds. The fresh grass was so tall and thick that I could only see the top half of her. "When she stops you can take your shot" Gene whispered.
I followed her in my Holosun green dot and assumed that she would get nice and close for an easy shot but at what they later told me was about 80 yds the PH gave her a calf bleat and she stopped at a slight angle and stared at us with her head up.

I have an astigmatisms and struggled with my green dot sight picture. I did my best and squeezed the shot off. With the muzzle blast I lost sight of her for an instant, I blinked once but she was gone.

"What did you do with my buffalo cow" I asked. They chuckled as we drove forward. She was lying deep in the tall grass exactly where she stood when I shot her.

The .577 Peregrine solid hit in the shoulder right beside her neck and penetrated straight to the root of tail.

I like big bullets. Brian

 

[ftrovato]

My rant on buffalo cartridges.

I know that I sound like a broken record, however I have found that the 375 with the best bullets is a poor and dangerous cape buffalo killer.

Yes, most hunters and PH's say that the the 375 is "Good enough" to "Perfect." My opinion is that people like the 375 because they are afraid of the recoil of proper buffalo rifle like the .416, .458, .470 and .500.

Much of the fuss over recoil is mental. The fact is that most any man or woman can learn to shoot the 500 NE accurately and enjoy it, ask my 135 pound wife. ( Ok, she weighed that when she used to hunt, It's a bit more now.)

Lots of men and women enjoy shooting 25 - 50 rounds of heavy 12 gauge goose loads when the geese are coming in on a cold morning. A heavy goose load in a light shotgun kicks more than regular weight 357HH.

Why are hunters afraid to fire a couple of rounds from a 458 WM when their adrenalin is flowing in a close encounter with a deadly cape buffalo? I don't get it.

I know the 375 fans will jump up and down and say "I use the 375 for cape buffalo because it works well, not because I am afraid of the recoil of a big bore." Yeah right! I believe you.

Look at it this way:

1. A wounded cape buffalo can be dangerous.
2. What is the recommended shooting distance when you are taking your first shot on a cape buffalo?
3. How far does a cape buffalo often run after he is hit in the shoulder with a .375 even with a good bullet, which most people don't use as they would rather hunt buffalo with cheap/poor bullet like a Hornady?

I have hunted cape buffalo with .375 HH, .50-110 Winchester and .577 NE. I have been involved in three buffalo charges, one of them was a buffalo that I personally shot poorly. Yes, I have strong opinions on this subject.

Also, what is all this nonsense about shooting 10-20 rounds off the bench with a cape buffalo rifle in one session. What is that for? Do you actually hunt cape buffalo with a bench rest?

Big bores hurt when fired off the bench and cause people to develop a flinch. ( A flinch is not helpful when you are shooting a cape buffalo.) The bench shooting of big bores is for load development and sighting in, that just takes a few rounds and here is some ways to make it easier.
- Place a big pad/weight between the butt pad and your shoulder. (Don't use a led sled they tend to
crack stocks and/or pound the recoil lug into the stock damaging it.)
- Use a standing type bench rest or set enough blocks under your rifle rest to raise the rifle rest high
above the bench. This enables you to sit upright at the bench, reducing the felt recoil. It really does
help.

Once you have a decent load developed and sighted in, do all of your practicing off of shooting sticks.
I like to practice off the sticks with a .22 mostly or dry firing indoors at home. ( Big bores cost too much for me to shoot paper with. That's just me.)

Of course I don't make any friends when I do my "Famous .375 rant". .....oh well. I think that am justified, the 375 cartridge has been known to get cape buffalo hunters in trouble including injured or dead which would ruin the whole day.

Perfectly said! Period. Everyone should learn to shoot the proper gun/cartridge for the task. 375 H&H is popular....til something goes wrong....

 

[Tex .416]

I agree with @385Fox (that's a first!). Test fire any thumper you're considering before committing. You might think about 404 Jeffery. This is fast becoming the African dangerous game darling it once was before Kynoch ammo went extinct and American "wildcats" took over....

??? .404 Jeff seems to suffer from a chronic lack of ammo and brass and is not a standard loading of the major ammo manufacturers in the US, except for Hornady. There seem to be many here who are not fond of Hornady's bullets, so that is another factor to consider. A quick check at Midway and Ammoseek shows Hornady as the only major ammo manufacturer currently offering ammo for the .404 Jeffery. There is no brass available anywhere according to Ammoseek and a check of the big online vendors.

In contrast, for .416 Rigby, ammo is offered by Hornady, plus Barnes, Federal, Swift, and then some smaller manufacturers. Brass is available.

For .416 Rem, Hornady, Barnes, Federal, but not Swift have ammo available at Midway. Brass is available.

 

[Green Chile]

For as much as the .404 Jeffery comes up on this forum, I rarely see it in the field. I rarely see the ammo in stores in the US and not that much in Africa. A search on ammoseek shows only Hornady ammo up through $10 a round...and not any real options until you get to custom ammo like Hendershots, Pendelton, Buffalo Bore at $15/round and up. Supply chain issues can be a problem with the .404, unlike 375, 416, 458. There's nothing wrong with the .404 except it's not popular anymore and it doesn't do anything better than the easy to source 416.

 

[Red Leg]

My rant on buffalo cartridges.

I know that I sound like a broken record, however I have found that the 375 with the best bullets is a poor and dangerous cape buffalo killer.

Yes, most hunters and PH's say that the the 375 is "Good enough" to "Perfect." My opinion is that people like the 375 because they are afraid of the recoil of proper buffalo rifle like the .416, .458, .470 and .500.

Much of the fuss over recoil is mental. The fact is that most any man or woman can learn to shoot the 500 NE accurately and enjoy it, ask my 135 pound wife. ( Ok, she weighed that when she used to hunt, It's a bit more now.)

Lots of men and women enjoy shooting 25 - 50 rounds of heavy 12 gauge goose loads when the geese are coming in on a cold morning. A heavy goose load in a light shotgun kicks more than regular weight 357HH.

Why are hunters afraid to fire a couple of rounds from a 458 WM when their adrenalin is flowing in a close encounter with a deadly cape buffalo? I don't get it.

I know the 375 fans will jump up and down and say "I use the 375 for cape buffalo because it works well, not because I am afraid of the recoil of a big bore." Yeah right! I believe you.

Look at it this way:

1. A wounded cape buffalo can be dangerous.
2. What is the recommended shooting distance when you are taking your first shot on a cape buffalo?
3. How far does a cape buffalo often run after he is hit in the shoulder with a .375 even with a good bullet, which most people don't use as they would rather hunt buffalo with cheap/poor bullet like a Hornady?

I have hunted cape buffalo with .375 HH, .50-110 Winchester and .577 NE. I have been involved in three buffalo charges, one of them was a buffalo that I personally shot poorly. Yes, I have strong opinions on this subject.

Also, what is all this nonsense about shooting 10-20 rounds off the bench with a cape buffalo rifle in one session. What is that for? Do you actually hunt cape buffalo with a bench rest?

Big bores hurt when fired off the bench and cause people to develop a flinch. ( A flinch is not helpful when you are shooting a cape buffalo.) The bench shooting of big bores is for load development and sighting in, that just takes a few rounds and here is some ways to make it easier.
- Place a big pad/weight between the butt pad and your shoulder. (Don't use a led sled they tend to
crack stocks and/or pound the recoil lug into the stock damaging it.)
- Use a standing type bench rest or set enough blocks under your rifle rest to raise the rifle rest high
above the bench. This enables you to sit upright at the bench, reducing the felt recoil. It really does
help.

Once you have a decent load developed and sighted in, do all of your practicing off of shooting sticks.
I like to practice off the sticks with a .22 mostly or dry firing indoors at home. ( Big bores cost too much for me to shoot paper with. That's just me.)

Of course I don't make any friends when I do my "Famous .375 rant". .....oh well. I think that am justified, the 375 cartridge has been known to get cape buffalo hunters in trouble including injured or dead which would ruin the whole day.

I am not sure how "famous" your rant may be - it merely sounds uninformed to me. I have killed four bulls - all with 300 gr bullets from a .375. None of my four required a second shot though two were given insurance shots while down. None went farther than 25 yards and one dropped in his tracks. I have never been charged by a bull. A .375 is a superb buffalo option - especially for a client.

I know PH's that have hunted DG game for decades and have experienced fewer buffalo charges than you have. I wonder what the catalyst might be? My often PH and now old friend in Mozambique often commented that the only thing that ever really scared him was a client showing up for buffalo or elephant with his brand new double rifle. He has been in the business for forty years and was a Rhodesian Light Infantryman once upon a time. He doesn't guide on a game farm.

A .416 in the wrong place is no more effective than a .375 in the same spot. A .375 in the right place is just as effective as .577 in the right place. With a scoped a .375, I am far more likely to put that first bullet - the one that really matters - in exactly the right place than I am with a traditionally configured double of any size.

Our modern hunts tend to be seven to ten days. The only potential opportunity can happen on the last afternoon. A great old bull is standing in the jess with two of his pals sixty yards away with a tiny shot window - three overlapping black blobs in dark cover. With a scoped .375, any competent rifleman can sort out that shot. With a 577, he might as well be carrying the actual boat anchor its weight equals.

 

[cajunchefray]

I have learned that if you ever want to start a good conversation/debate, just post something about the .375 on cape buffalo. ( chuckle.)

There are always lots of opinions on the topic.

The more one gets into details and facts on the .375 the more obvious are it's limitations. That is why the 375 is designated the minimum fo cape bullalo.

As I have told you all before I shoot a .375 HH and a .375 Ruger and really enjoy them but I don't use them on cape buffalo any more. (Cape buffalo are the only DG that I can afford to hunt.)

I am a bullet/calibre nerd. The four questions that I like to have answered every time a buffalo is killed or wounded is:
1. Where was the bullet placed and from what angle?
2. What was the bullet calibre, make and weight?
3. How far did the buffalo go after the first shot?
4. How many follow up shot were take after the first shot?

When we say, "it worked well" etc. that is really all that matters to us for the enjoyment and satisfaction of the hunt but obviously more specific info is needed for complete evaluation and comparison of how quickly a bullet/caliber kills a cape buffalo for the sake of safety.

Another way of putting it is "What cartridge/bullet was used when a wounded buffalo goes after the hunter and hurts him." That is what this is all about as far as I am concerned.

I went through my .375 for cape buffalo phase about 15 buffalo ago and being an old opinionated geezer I just like preaching the virtues of big bores. The bigger, the better!

I want to repeat my .577 NE story from my last hunt in April. Apologies.

We were hunting in North West Province near Rustenburg. Beautiful area where it had recently rained buckets for about a month.The bush was thick and green and the grass was 3 to 4 ft deep in some places. We found a small herd in some thick bush, the PH, Gene, told me that there was a 22 year old cow in the bunch that chased anybody and anything include vehicles and we would have to be on the job.

We came across this old girl in the late afternoon. I am 80 years old and am slow an awkward in the bush so the PH and tracker tucked me in a safe place and crept into the thickest stuff for closer look at her.

It worked out well for me because sure as hell they got chased by her.

They were puffing and giggling when they came back to retrieve me. We walked straight to the Bakkie and motored around for a while looking for a different bunch of buffalo. The PH and I were riding on top, I had my single shot .577 NE and the the PH was glassing across a big open area.

He whispered, "We are being charged again by that old cow" I couldn't see her.

"How do you feel about shooting out of the truck" Gene asked. "Today, I feel good about it", I answered. He told George, the tracker, to face the bakkie towards the cow and turn off the motor.

The cow was galloping towards at about 150 yds. The fresh grass was so tall and thick that I could only see the top half of her. "When she stops you can take your shot" Gene whispered.
I followed her in my Holosun green dot and assumed that she would get nice and close for an easy shot but at what they later told me was about 80 yds the PH gave her a calf bleat and she stopped at a slight angle and stared at us with her head up.

I have an astigmatisms and struggled with my green dot sight picture. I did my best and squeezed the shot off. With the muzzle blast I lost sight of her for an instant, I blinked once but she was gone.

"What did you do with my buffalo cow" I asked. They chuckled as we drove forward. She was lying deep in the tall grass exactly where she stood when I shot her.

The .577 Peregrine solid hit in the shoulder right beside her neck and penetrated straight to the root of tail.

I like big bullets. Brian

There is something I just like about your story of the.577 and a mean old buffalo .

 

[Ontario Hunter]

404 popularity has surged in recent years and manufacturers are responding albeit slowly. Hornady makes great brass. Their bullets are "okay". They put way too much gas in their factory 404 ammo. But I wouldn't hesitate to pound out the bullets and reload them into something less 416ish. Price of their ammo is now running anywhere from $138 to $180. Common to find it around $150-$160. I thought RWS was still making brass? Not the best stuff but I'd use it for range work. And of course it's always possible to make Remington 375 RUM brass work for 404, again for range work ... at least.

We're still recovering from pandemic shortages. I fully expect 404 components and ammo will become more available.

 

[hunt4fun]

I really enjoy reading all of these posts. I just returned from S. Africa and my fifth African hunt. So, though my experience is less than a lot of you, I feel like I want to throw my two bits in. On this trip my 375 H&H accounted for six animals. All one shot kills with 300 gr Nosler Partitions. The buffalo was facing me at 29 yards. I shot him a third of the way up his chest from the bottom of his bricket. He trurned, ran maybe 20 yards and fell in a heap. The one I shot two years ago didn't go 10 steps., shot broadside half way up his chest.
How can I not love this rifle. It is accurate, has no felt recoil when hunting, and it is such a classic Arfican caliber.

 

[Green Chile]

I really enjoy reading all of these posts. I just returned from S. Africa and my fifth African hunt. So, though my experience is less than a lot of you, I feel like I want to throw my two bits in. On this trip my 375 H&H accounted for six animals. All one shot kills with 300 gr Nosler Partitions. The buffalo was facing me at 29 yards. I shot him a third of the way up his chest from the bottom of his bricket. He trurned, ran maybe 20 yards and fell in a heap. The one I shot two years ago didn't go 10 steps., shot broadside half way up his chest.
How can I not love this rifle. It is accurate, has no felt recoil when hunting, and it is such a classic Arfican caliber.

You could hunt many more times in Africa and never need another rifle. Nice shooting and the perfect rifle for a one gun safari that includes eland, buffalo, etc. Is it scoped also?

 

[Brian]

Red Leg, Thank you for posting.

I see that we both have strong opinions about the 375 for cape buffalo.
The majority of buffalo hunter and those who want to hunt buffalo will agree with you. ( Some may not go along with a couple of your comments above.)

The .375 the most popular cape buffalo cartridge in the world.
A few of us want something bigger.

By the way, I too have killed 4 cape Buffalo bulls with one 375 HH shot. One went down right where I shot him, one went about 15 yds and two went 30 yds or less. I used North Fork 300 grain Cup Point Solids.

As someone posted above the .375 HH "is popular 'til something goes wrong." Brian